Valley Health donates AED pads to schools

After replacing outdated automatic external defibrillators at Douglas High School in February 2023, Carson Valley Health committed to annually replacing the pads for all the G5 AEDs across the school district.

“Knowing that each school now has these potentially lifesaving devices, and we can support their ongoing maintenance can help to put teachers and parents’ minds at ease,” said Carson Valley Health Chief Operating Officer Shannon Rogers. 

“The new G5 series AEDs are the best and I am excited to know that anyone who uses them will be able to perform adequate CPR due to the Intellisense CPR feedback pads,” said School District Chief Nurse Jen Tyndall. “We conduct annual training for all our staff. Carson Valley Health’s commitment to an annual donation to the school district allows for every school to order the effective CPR Intellisense feedback pads.”

The device can analyze a heart rhythm and shock, or defibrillate, the patient if necessary to help restart the heart. If a person suffers a heart attack, the device can help to save their life when used within the first three minutes along with high quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

The cardiopulmonary resuscitation pad attachment for the new devices helps ensure effective compressions with automated instructions while during deployment. It essentially walks the rescuer through the process of using the device to help save a life. For proper use, each device has two pads that expire after two years and need to be fully replaced, which is where Carson Valley Health comes in. 

Carson Valley Health offers Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support courses throughout the year. Check their website at CarsonValleyHealth.org, Patients & Visitors, American Heart Association Courses. For a list of the nearest device locations, visit PulsePoint.org or download the PulsePoint application onto your smart phone and follow East Fork Fire Protection District.